Handbook
A 12-week guide to help you
to increase your walking…………
Walking regularly can add years to life
and life to years
The
handbook
Page
Part 1:
The benefits of increasing your walking
How much physical activity should you do
for health benefits?
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4
Part 2:
An introduction to the PACE-UP
walking programme
Part 3:
Useful websites for walking
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Part 4:
How to keep going when PACE-UP finishes
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5-6
PACE-UP is being run from six general practices in South West London. It aims
to encourage people aged 45-74 years to increase the amount of walking they
do to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity for health benefits.
It is funded by the Department of Health through the National Institute of Health Research, Health
Technology Assessment Programme.
Your research assistant for the PACE-UP trial is called …………………………….
You can telephone them on ……………………………………............................…..
or email them ……………………………………………………............................………..
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Part 1: What are the benefits of increasing your walking?
Reduce health problems
Improve wellbeing
Walking regularly can prevent or improve:
Walking regularly can:
Heart disease, Stroke
Diabetes, High blood pressure
Osteoporosis, Several cancers
Arthritis and back pain
Relieve stress, anxiety and depression
Make you feel happier
Increase your energy and fitness
Help you to sleep better
Improve your quality of life
Get you out of the house meeting
people
Reduce some of the effects of ageing
Help maintain a healthy weight
Walking regularly can:
Walking regularly can:
Improve flexibility and balance
Help you to maintain a healthy weight
Protect against developing dementia
Prevent obesity
Maintain mobility and being able to live
independently
Which of these benefits are most important for you?
How much activity should I try to do?
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How much physical activity should you do?
You should aim to be active daily. Over a week, activity should add up to at least
150 minutes (2½ hours) of moderate intensity activity in bouts of 10 minutes or
more.
One good way to approach this is to do 30 minutes activity on at least 5 days a
week. This is part of the UK physical activity guidelines for health for adults and
older adults (see www.nhs.uk/livewell/fitness)
Moderate intensity activity means that you should:
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 Begin to breathe a bit quicker
 Feel your heart beating a bit faster
 Feel warmer
 You should still be able to talk whilst you are doing
moderate activity.
How can walking help?
Walking at approximately 3 miles (5 km) per hour counts as moderate intensity activity.
This can be translated into steps per minute and measured with a pedometer.
Roughly 1500 steps in 15 minutes counts as 15 minutes of moderate intensity activity.
Roughly 3000 steps in 30 minutes counts as 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity.
PACE-UP aims to increase the amount that you walk each week, using a target
number of steps measured by a pedometer.
The UK physical activity guidelines also advise that all adults and older adults should
minimise the amount of time that they spend being sedentary (sitting) for extended periods.
Taking regular short walks can help you to do this.
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Part 2: What is the
The plan is to start from where you
are currently and to gradually
increase the amount you walk over
12 weeks.
walking programme?
Weeks of PACE-UP
walking programme
1-2
Use the pedometer
to record the number of steps you
do each day and write them in your
PACE-UP diary.
Target number of steps
Add in 1500 steps on 3 or
more days per week
3-4
Add in 1500 steps on 5 or
more days per week
5-6
Add in 3000 steps on 3 or
more days per week
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Add in 3000 steps on 5 or
more days per week
Remember
1500 steps equals about 15 minutes of walking &
3000 steps equals about 30 minutes of walking.
What does this mean for you?
From the pedometer worn at baseline your average number of daily steps was ....................
Your 12 week programme will be as follows:
Add in extra steps to your baseline average of …………….......…..steps per day. Record your daily
step-count on the PACE-UP diary sheets.
First month add in 1500 steps per day (which is about equal to a 15 minute walk), gradually
increasing from 3 to 5 days per week
Second month add in 3000 steps per day (which is about equal to a 30 minute walk) gradually
increasing from 3 to 5 days per week
Third month is maintenance, keep on adding in 3000 steps per day (about equal to a 30
minute walk) on at least 5 days per week.
By the end of 12 weeks the aim is for you to be walking an extra 3000 steps most days of
the week. If you can do this, your average number of daily steps should have increased to
about ............................ steps.
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How can you increase your walking in a safe way?
 Start low-and-go-slow! This means making any changes
in a gradual way.
 Gradually increase both the amount of walking that you
do (the number of steps per day) and the intensity (how
fast you walk).
 Walking at a moderate intensity is safe for most people.
If you find it difficult to do 1500 steps in 15 minutes, then you can go more slowly
at first and build up gradually.
 Wear sturdy shoes or trainers when you walk. You will be less likely to cause
pain in your feet and other joints.
 If you feel at all unsteady, try using a walking stick or walking with a friend.
 Take some water with you if you are walking a long distance, especially if it is
hot weather.
 Regular walking is good for arthritis and back pain, but if walking aggravates
these problems, you may have done too much too quickly. Rest for a day or so
and then try doing slightly less next time.
 If walking more or faster gives you chest pain, palpitations or dizziness, or
makes you feel faint or fall over, you should stop doing it and tell your GP.
 If you are concerned about street safety, identify your local crime hotspots in
your area by putting your postcode into http://www.police.uk and check out
advice on keeping yourself safe on http://www.suzylamplugh.org/personalsafety/personal-safety-tips/street-safety
Now you are ready to start!
Try out your pedometer and check you are happy with the
instructions in your PACE-UP walking diary.
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Then start with week 1 of the PACE-UP walking programme.
Part 3: Useful websites
For walking
www.whi.org.uk
Useful help for people to do short walks in
their area
www.walk4life.info this website helps you to
find a walk near to where you live, make up a
walk you can do every day or keep a track of
your walking activity
www.walkit.com the urban walking route
planner, gives you a route map between any
two points including your journey time
For generally keeping active and healthy
www.nhs.uk/livewell/fitness for UK physical
activity guidelines for adults and older adults,
fitness videos and exercises for all age groups
www.nhs.uk/letsgetmoving to find out more
about getting active in your local area
www.bhf.org.uk/keeping_your_heart_healthy/
staying_active.aspx for ways to be more active
and how it will help you
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Part 4: How to keep going when your
programme finishes
walking
 Keep the habit of going for a 30 minute walk or doing 30 minutes of other
moderate activity to keep up your step-count, most days of the week.
 Keep your pedometer and use it sometimes to show you how active you are.
It is easy to be very busy without being very active, the pedometer shows you
accurately how many steps you are taking.
 Remind yourself about what you have achieved by increasing your activity and
any positive benefits it has had on your health, weight, mood, sleeping etc.
This may motivate you to keep up good habits, or to try again if you feel you
have slipped back.
 Enlist a friend or family member to walk with you, it is easier to walk regularly
and walk further if you have some company.
 Try out new walks near you or think about a walking group, the websites
listed have lots of ideas for local walks, or your local library will have
information.
Keeping in contact with us
 We will contact you at the end of your 12 week programme and arrange for
you to wear the accelerometer again and to fill in some questionnaires about
your activity.
 We will ring, text or email you, as you prefer, after 6 months and 9 months to
see how things are going.
 We will contact you a year after you started the study and arrange for you to
wear the accelerometer again and fill in some questionnaires, to see if you
have managed to keep up your walking.
 If you need to tell us about any problems you have had with walking (e.g. falls,
sprains, injuries), or if you are moving house, you can contact us at any time.
 If you lose your pedometer or it stops working and you would like a
replacement you can ring or email us and ask for one.
 To contact us: Research Assistant .......................... mobile ........................
email ........................................ or [email protected]
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Copyright © St George’s University of London, 2012.
Permission granted to reproduce for personal, educational and research use only. Commercial copying,
hiring, lending is prohibited.
Adapted from NHS Health Trainer Handbook Copyright © Crown copyright 2008. Produced by COI for the
Department of Health.
Cartoon images from ‘Let’s Get Moving’ Patient resource pack Crown copyright 2011. Produced by COI for
the Department of Health. PACE-UP is a local supporter of Change4Life.
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